Gun fired at Forest Hills MBTA station in Boston as transit officers struggle with man armed with butcher knife, police say

A Transit Police officer's gun went off during a struggle with a man armed with a butcher knife at the Forest Hills MBTA station in Boston Friday, police said.

Transit Police were called to the bus and subway station in Jamaica Plain around 11:15 a.m. for a report of a man with a knife. According to MBTA Transit Police Superintendent Richard Sullivan, the man had a butcher knife and was threatening a bus driver and trying to stab tires on the bus.

Sullivan said two officers approached the man, they started to struggle and the man then "immediately" went to grab one of the officer's guns. The gun somehow went off, Sullivan said, but no one was shot and no one was stabbed.

The man, who has not been identified, was taken into custody. Sullivan said one officer hurt his knee in the struggle. He and the other officer were taken to the hospital. It's not clear what happened to the second officer but Sullivan said those injuries were "non-life threatening." The bus driver was not hurt.

"This was a violent person," Sullivan said of the suspect. "I won't speculate on his motive." 

Boston EMS said six people were taken to the hospital, but Sullivan did not confirm that.

WBZ-TV's Kristina Rex spoke with a woman at the scene who saw the incident outside a window in her home.

"I heard a shot, heard a scream," said Riley McMullan. "I saw someone down in the busway and someone was tending to them. People were still standing there." 

McMullan said she saw a Transit Police officer on a stretcher. 

Part of the station was closed, including the upper busway. The Orange Line and lower busway remained open.

No other information is available at this point in the investigation.